The Rockets could be close to adding shooter Casey Jacobsen to their retooled backcourt, potentially giving them five guard additions since last season.

Jacobsen, a first-round pick out of Stanford by the Phoenix Suns in 2002, was offered a partially guaranteed contract with the Rockets after a strong season with European power Tau Ceramica (Vitoria, Spain) and in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Jacobsen averaged 16.4 points on 54 percent shooting with the Nuggets' summer league team after averaging nine points last season for Tau Ceramica. He averaged 5.9 points on 39.9 percent shooting and 37 percent 3-point shooting in three seasons with the Suns and Hornets.

While the Rockets were close to padding their roster, they announced a reduction in their coaching staff with the resignation of assistant Patrick Ewing.

"It was a difficult decision to resign because I enjoy coaching," Ewing said in a statement. "I love working with Jeff (Van Gundy) and the rest of the staff, and our players are really good guys. But my children are getting older, and I want to spend more time with them. I'm sure at some point I will get back into coaching, but right now I need to focus completely on my kids."

Ewing told Van Gundy after the season that he intended to step down, but Van Gundy asked him to take most of the summer to reconsider.

"He felt strongly he needed to be in New York with his daughters, and it also will allow him to watch his son play at Georgetown," Van Gundy said. "He did a tremendous job.

"People don't realize the respect our players had for him for what he did on the floor and the way he went about his job. I think he was finding his coaching voice more and more as he gained more experience."

Van Gundy said Ewing would not be replaced on the staff.

Charlie Ward, in his second season as a coach, is expected to take on more of Ewing's duties. Assistant head coach Tom Thibodeau has been working with center Yao Ming in Houston and in the past two offseasons in China.